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I have a low speed steering wobble on my Honda CBR600. It has only done 9000 miles but has wobbled for the last 2000 of them. The garage has checked it over and says it is fine. Is there anything I can check (easily) as I am no mechanic?
Hi Marsha67 and welcome to the forum.
Check these:
1. Tyre wear. They might be legal but if quite worn this could affect the handling in the way you describe. My old FZ750 was very prone to this.
2. Are the tyres correctly matched front to rear (and set to the correct pressure), ie same brand and type.
3.Are the tyres the size specified in the handbook. Oversize tyres can give problems.
4. Bar end caps – are they still fitted and are they the standard ones? These are dampers with a specific weight matched to the bike.
5. Are you steering head bearings correctly tightened?
6. Do you have hard luggage or a rack fitted? be careful with your weight distribution.
7. Chain adjusters on the same mark both sides.
8. Old tyres – are they the original 1998 items? Thes might have “gone off”. That is the compound has lost its original properties. Small cracks in the side wall can indicate this.Hope this lot is of some help.
Welcome to the forum.
Think Radar said it all there, but drop another message here if you want any extra help on his suggestions.
A ride a GSXR and I get a wobble at high speeds. Had new tyres, head bearings are fine. Chain adjusted correctly etc. The front end goes very light and and struggle to keep bike straight when hitting even slightest bump in road. A friend of mine said that the bike has probably reached its limit but these bikes are meant to be good for 160mph! Friend said steering damper may help but as they are alot of money, would appreciate any suggestions on other options or which damper to buy.
The roads are my race track!!
I’d be very suprised if a steering damper did much on your bike as it is already very ‘sorted’ in the handling department. A damper may mask the underlying problem which causes the wobble. My head bearings were checked out several times by me and others (mechanics too!) and every time they appeared to be fine. I bit the bullet and nipped them up a bit and, hey presto, no wobbles. Always worth a try.
Thanks ID. Will have another look and gonna ask a couple of the chaps to give it a blast at the pub tonight. Make sure its not just that I am not too light too keep front end down at high speeds! They can also check the head bearings for me too but I am quite certain that they are OK. (Bike had a front end overhaul a few months ago)
The roads are my race track!!
Not being funny but was it alright before the overhaul, was it done by a reputable mechanic (although this isnt always a guarantee of quality) – just a thought…
GSX750 Ratfighter / SR125 Rat / GSX600F / Beamish250 / Honda70 Rat
Blackboard paint – Covers a multitude of sins!
Thanks for the help guys. I forgot I left this thread here. My problems were in fact solved by (ahem) tightening the steering head bearings. Well done all who said that and thanks for the PM’s from Imperial and Wheelie, we’re back on track again!
The front end was overhauled by a mechanic I have known for many years and has always seen me right. I maybe should have mentioned that the wobble does not start till I hit around 140mph. (Although I do not do this very often). I had not tried the bike at these speeds before the overhaul so I don’t know if it was there before.
The roads are my race track!!
Is it possible that a balancing weight has come off the wheel? , dont know if it would show up at lower speeds but worth a look, also maybe worth checking that settings on both forks are set the same…
GSX750 Ratfighter / SR125 Rat / GSX600F / Beamish250 / Honda70 Rat
Blackboard paint – Covers a multitude of sins!
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